[caption id="attachment_10691" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2358" title="Roullard and Westling" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/20140331_130904b-300x279.jpg" alt="George the Giraffe" width="300" height="279" /> Linda Roullard &amp; Josh Westling pose with George, the Giraffe.[/caption]

On March 5<sup>th</sup> SJVC staff, faculty and around 40 <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a>, <a title="Medical Office program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-office/" target="_blank">Medical Office</a> and <a title="Pharmacy Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology/" target="_blank">Pharmacy Technology</a> students from the Visalia campus participated in <i>Kids Day </i>to help raise money for Central California Children’s Hospital. This annual event put over 5,000 volunteers on the streets of local towns to sell the <i>Fresno Bee </i>newspaper to motorists and passersby.

The goal this year was to raise half a million dollars to support Children’s Hospital and their services and departments, such as the pediatric intensive care unit and oncology program.

While last year’s effort raised about $483,000, this year’s goal was surpassed with over $514,000 raised in the valley.

<a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">SJVC Visalia</a> collected $3,000 and earned a third place award in the Colleges and Universities category.

“This was a record for us,” says Eric Lindberg, Division Manager. “We even sold newspapers from another organization that they left our group upon leaving the street corner.”

SJVC volunteers picked four of the busiest intersections in Visalia to hawk their newspapers, and sold a whopping 1,750.

Participating staff and faculty include:

<b>Eric Lindberg </b>(Division Manager)

<b>            Cecilia Avalos </b>(MOMA Dept.) and <i>Kids Day </i>Event Coordinator for Visalia campus<b>         </b>

<b>            Linda Roullard </b>(MOMA Dept.)

<b>            Sujana DeAlmeida </b>(MOMA Dept.)

<b>            Carlota Reid </b>(MOMA Dept.)

<b>            Nina Lund </b>(MOMA Dept.)

<b>            Melinda Sandoval </b>(MOMA Dept.)

<b>            MaryAnn Cuellar </b>(MOMA Dept.)

<b>            Josh Westling </b>(Respiratory Therapy Dept.)

<b>            Elizabeth Andrade </b>(Pharmacy Tech. Dept.)

<b>            Kathy Self </b>(Pharmacy Tech. Dept.)

Central California Children’s Hospital held a nice luncheon last week to celebrate the challenge winners. When he received the Third Place award on behalf of SJVC’s contribution, Eric Lindberg quipped, “Now that I know <b>food </b>is involved, next year we’ll beat Fresno State’s $42,000!”